Ence pulp mills in Pontevedra and Navia, Spain, receive AENOR 'Zero Waste' environmental seal of approval for third year for efficiently managing, recovering their waste to promote circularity; both mills recovered nearly all waste over past two years

August 18, 2022 (press release) –

Ence’s biofactories in Pontevedra and Navia have successfully passed the “Zero Waste” environmental seal of approval awarded by AENOR to organisations that manage their waste more efficiently and are able to recover it. During the past year, the company’s facilities in Galicia and Asturias managed to recover practically all of their waste.

These facilities repeat, for the third consecutive year, the results that made them worthy of recognition for the first time in 2020, and which make both plants a paradigm of responsible use of resources and circular economy.

In the audits carried out, the involvement and commitment of the biofactories’ team in the optimisation of environmental management, the traceability of data, which allowed the verification to be carried out efficiently, and the work tools deployed by the company, which actively contribute to the correct prevention, management and resolution of the environmental aspects related to the facilities, have been highlighted.

The verification process carried out aims to guarantee the recovery, through reuse, recycling or energy recovery, of the waste generated at the plant, thus avoiding its transfer to landfills. Also, the traceability of the entire process, and the verification of the data relating to the quantity of the different waste fractions.

This shows that the efficient management of both biofactories not only prevented these materials from ending up in landfills, but also reintroduced them into the value chain, giving them a new life.

In fact, the very activity of Ence’s biofactories in Pontevedra and Navia is an example of a contribution to the circular bioeconomy: throughout the pulp production process, the plants operate with materials of natural, renewable origin to supply recyclable products. At the same time, they generate renewable electricity from biomass using lignin, a component of wood that is an excellent renewable and natural biofuel, and forest residues from the process.

All of this demonstrates the company’s commitment to the circular economy model, as well as its firm commitment to sustainability and care for the environment.

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